the only problem with new york is how far it is from oklahoma

"and through timeless words and priceless pictures
we'll fly like birds not of this earth.
and tides they turn and hearts disfigure
but that's no concern when we're wounded together.
and we tore our dresses and stained our shirts
but it's nice today. oh, the wait was so worth it."
- Jason Mraz, A Beautiful Mess

I attempted to write out a play-by-play, detailed report of my trip to Oklahoma, but you guys don't want to read a novel. Besides, with only 6 days between my return from Norman and my move to NY, most of my time is spent packing. Okay, packing and procrastinating and texting Ross constantly, but you know how it goes. So here are the highlights:

Saturday:

• First of all, there was some serious flight drama. I've never been so happy and upset about a single flight being delayed. Luckily, my ride was running late too.
• Bobby's GPS was determined to take us anywhere but Cain's. Luckily, we outsmarted it. But we'll forever hate LL Tisdale freeway, or whatever it's called.
• Girl Talk was one of my favorite shows ever. He played all of the best parts from Feed the Animals, and mixed some new things we tried really hard to remember later.
  
• Poodle and I alternated between standing in the middle of the chaos and sitting on our cozy little bench, surrounded by all the crazy people who would lean all over us.
• The trip back definitely included a McDonald's stop in Tulsa for the dinner we forgot to eat beforehand, and another one in Norman at 5 a.m. for breakfast.

I forgot to bring my camera in to the concert, so the only picture I have from Girl Talk is one I stole from Parker.

Sunday:

• Still getting over the exhaustion from travel and Girl Talk, it was a very lazy day. Ross and I finally dragged our butts out of bed and over to Virginia's workplace.
• Noteworthy is the trip V and I took to the mall, where I exerted extreme self control in not purchasing the purse I fell head over heels for. Also, the buzzword of the week emerged in the Forever 21 dressing room: "hookalah".
• The night ended in our typical grandma style, with a lovely dinner at BJ's (yum!) with some great friends, and then crashing before midnight while watching a Degrassi marathon.

Gosh, my friends are so stylish.

Monday:

• No trip to Norman would be complete without a trip to campus and Campus Corner. Though it definitely felt strange to see all the little freshmen with their enrollment packets and realizing that they go to school there now and I do not. However, it's still funny to see them try so hard not to look like freshmen and fail miserably.
  
• One highlight of this day was meeting up with my future roommate, Ashley. And for a double treat, I got to introduce her to my beloved Cafe Plaid. We're already planning to scope out some cute local cafes when we get all settled in, don't you even worry.
• The afternoon was spent lounging by the pool at the Greens with Virginia, Danielle, Jessica, Ross and... I think that was the whole crew that day. Oh wait, we can't forget "Hello Kitty girl"!
• Erin and I got to have a wonderful little girl-date, complete with all the margs and gossip we could ask for. Golly, I'd missed that a lot.
• We gathered up a group of over-21 Phi Lambs to go see a "grown-up movie" in the balcony at the Warren, where they serve drinks. Ironically, we were going to see Wall-E. Unfortunately, we missed the "grown-up" theater showing, but we did perfect our robot voices. ;)

Tuesday:

• So much of my visit revolved around where we ate our meals. I mean, I needed to get my fill of all the local fare in the short time I was there! So T.E.A. Cafe was a must.
• Danielle and I filled some down time with one of our famous "study parties". However this one was slightly different because while D worked on O-Chem, I became engrossed in Roman Holiday on TV and served as more of a distraction than anything else. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that different.
• Another sunny afternoon called for another day lounging by the pool. And you wouldn't believe it, but I actually got tan! I missed that Oklahoma sun.
• After lots of laziness, Danielle, Erin, Kely and I decided to get all dolled up (the vain people that we are) and go out for a fancy dinner. K made the excellent selection of the Cheesecake Factory, which quickly became one of my new favorite places to eat.
• I have to mention the drive back and forth, because that's one of the things I love most about my friends - singing at the top of our lungs in the car. K and I discovered that we still jump in at exactly the same random parts of songs, which made me giggle a little. We also realized that none of us know exactly what Freddy Mercury & David Bowie are singing in Under Pressure.
• Then began the time to party. I am very proud to say "I partied like a freshman." And I said it quite frequently. Complete with Sonic cup filled with Malibu. No kidding.
• There was no way I was coming to Norman without going to the Mont. That place is my Mecca. Okay, that's a little strong, but I love it. A lot.
  
• The night's festivities ended with many a round of beer pong at Lia's. I'm actually quite talented, for future reference. Add to that a standard late night chat before drifting to sleep, and you've made yourself one solid day.

PLBD! Of course, we took our standard shot from The Mont, the thorny rose.

There are three generations of Howdy Week Chairs in this photograph. It doesn't get much cooler than that.

She's my sister, one of my best friends and my wifey.

They just love bubbles. And I love them.

V, Lady and Poodle. What a great combination. And I don't know why you were arguing over what was your good side, you both look fantastic.

K and I take great pictures together, as usual.

Wednesday:

• As fun as the night before was, it made getting up for my hair appointment quite difficult. But it was so worth it. I am going to miss the lovely Katy terribly! Though she did give me plenty of ribbing about my hungover state.
• I was picked up from Ulta by a full posse and we went - where else - to grab lunch. At Raising Cane's. Yum.
  
• Kely and I spent most of the afternoon doing one of my favorite things in the entire universe - playing and singing together at the piano. We switched it up a little from our usual routine, though. Since Phi Delt was locked, we had to resort to Beaird Lounge's piano, which equals a free concert for the people who so chose to sit there that day. A faithful two stuck it out through our belting and banging on the keys. Another change was that for once, I played songs while he sang. Though, we of course had to play our #1 request, Sara Bareilles' Love Song.
• A visit to Student Life resulted in an impromptu Plastics trivia quiz with Quy. He might just have to be an honorary member by the end of it all. Oh good times. I miss my Plastics.
• If you're a regular in Nompton, you know that Wednesday night is O'Connells karaoke night. So naturally, we were so there. Lots of fun ensued, including Sarah and I getting the high score at "Monster Mash," making new friends so we could sit at the table with them, all of our new friends joining us on stage to sing Wannabe (yeah, the Spice Girls song), and John & Dan - the new besties mentioned in an earlier post - serenading us with songs from Aladdin and doing backflips in the middle of the bar.

Oh yeah, we got the high score. It's a good thing we didn't discover this thing when we were O'Connells regulars.

Some of our new friends, who turned out to be my Little's neighbors. What a small world.

My fantastic posse for both "grown-up movie" night and karaoke night.

Thursday:

• It was a bittersweet morning, packing up to leave Norman again. But my trip wasn't over yet. I still got to go on a wonderful little road trip with the adorable miss Erin back to the Tulsa airport.
  
• An Erin and Emily road trip always has a stellar soundtrack and this one was no exception. Old songs from high school, Disney soundtracks and Salty the Singing Songbook all made appearances.
• We were so adult with our lovely little lunch in the airport. Mere met up with us, and we got a taste of what things might be like in the next few years - just catching up long enough to grab a bite and hop on a plane. But it will always be worth it.
• The trip back, though much less stressful than my trip to Norman, was somewhat eventful. I channelled my inner Ross and made conversation with my "single-serving friend" on my flights. Also, I was a major CAC OB and helped design a T-shirt for H-dub '08. Seriously, I'll never get away from that stuff, and I don't think that's a bad thing. ;)
• Upon returning home, I realized just how exhausted I was. I'm not used to so much stimulation and activity. Oh, and sorry for partyin', I suppose. But hey, at least my insomnia was gone.

All in all, the trip was exactly what I wanted it to be. I was a little bit afraid that going back would make me sad and scared all over again, but it just confirmed for me how great a group of friends I have back home and how sure I am that I'm on the right track going off into the "real world." I couldn't have asked for much more than that. Of course, there were a few people I didn't get to see whom I would've loved catching up with, but there will definitely be another trip in my future. And, better yet, you guys will soon have a free place to crash in the City, so you better come visit me!